READING

Reading Comprehension - Ramadan

Develop your reading skills. Read the following text about Ramadan. Then answer the comprehension questions

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking from dawn until sunset. Ramadan had been the name of the ninth month in Arabian culture long before the arrival of Islam. In the Qur'an it is said that "fasting has been written down (as obligatory) upon you, as it was upon those before you" which is a reference to the Jewish practice of fasting on Yom Kippur. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality.

Ramadan is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.

As compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards about ten days each year as it is a moving holiday depending on the moon. Ramadan was the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were said to be revealed to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. That was during a night that Muslims call Laylat al-Qadr (the night of decree or measures.) The night is believed to be one of the 10 last days of the month.

Ramadan ends with Eid ul-Fitr on the first of Shawwal, with much celebration and feasting.